CN101432145B - Liquid container - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a device capable of suppressing the air bubbles from reaching a detection position of a liquid remaining sensor while there is a liquid remaining in the liquid containing chamber even if the air bubbles enter the liquid guide passage from the liquid containing chamber, thereby preventing erroneous detection of the liquid remaining sensor. liquid container. The cartridge main body (10) includes an upper ink containing chamber (370), a lower ink containing chamber (390), and a buffer chamber (430). These ink storage chambers are connected in series in which descending connections and ascending connections are alternately repeated. The descending connections make the flow direction of the ink I in the ink guide passage (380) form a descending flow from top to bottom. The upper ink storage chamber (370) and the lower ink storage chamber (390) are connected to each other by means of an ascending connection so that the flow direction of the ink I in the ink guide passage (430) forms an ascending flow from bottom to top. The ink storage chamber (390) and the buffer chamber (430) are connected to each other.

Description

liquid container

technical field

The present invention relates to a liquid container for supplying a liquid to a liquid consuming device, the liquid being stored in a container body detachably attached to the liquid consuming device.

Background technique

Examples of conventional liquid containers and liquid consuming devices include ink cartridges storing ink, and ink jet recording devices (ink jet printers) in which the ink cartridges are replaceably mounted.

The composition of the above-mentioned ink cartridge generally includes: an ink containing chamber, which is filled with ink in a container body detachably mounted on an ink cartridge mounting portion of an inkjet recording apparatus; and an ink supply portion, which is used to store The liquid in the inkjet recording device is supplied to the inkjet recording device; the ink guide passage is connected to the ink storage chamber and the ink supply part; and the atmosphere communication passage is introduced from the outside into the ink storage chamber as the ink in the ink storage chamber is consumed. Atmospheric, when mounted on the ink cartridge mounting part of the inkjet type recording device, the ink supply needle equipped on the ink cartridge mounting part is inserted and connected to the ink supply part, whereby the stored ink can be supplied to the inkjet type recording device in the record header.

The recording head in the inkjet recording device uses heat and vibration to control the ejection of ink droplets. If the ink cartridge is cut off or cannot supply ink, the ink ejection action will fail if the ink cartridge runs out of ink. In this regard, in the inkjet recording apparatus, it is necessary to monitor the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge so that the recording head does not run dry.

In this context, an ink cartridge with a liquid level sensor has been developed, which outputs a predetermined electrical signal when the ink level stored in the main body of the container is consumed to a preset limit value, so that it will not be caused by The ink stored in the ink cartridge is completely exhausted to the end, resulting in empty shooting of the recording head of the recording device (for example, Patent Document 1).

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-146030

Contents of the invention

However, in an air-opening type liquid container that introduces air into the ink storage chamber in response to the consumption of ink stored in the ink cartridge, if the remaining amount of ink decreases and the area of the air layer in the ink storage chamber becomes larger, it will be damaged due to When the surface of the ink stored in the ink storage chamber fluctuates due to external vibrations applied to the ink cartridge, even if the ink remains, the air layer is likely to come into contact with the ink discharge port of the ink storage chamber that communicates with the ink guide passage. When the ink discharge port of the ink storage chamber comes into contact, air bubbles enter the ink guide path.

In addition, when there is a sufficient amount of ink remaining in the ink storage chamber and the area of the air layer in the ink storage chamber is small, if the ink cartridge in use is detached from the inkjet recording device due to inclination or the influence of external vibration, etc. Fluctuation of the ink in the ink storage chamber also causes the air layer to come into contact with the ink discharge port of the ink storage chamber, and air bubbles enter the ink guide passage.

In this case, for example, if the ink guide path is constituted by a simple flow path, the air bubbles entering the ink guide path from the ink storage chamber will easily follow the ink guide path to the detection position of the liquid remaining sensor, Make the liquid level sensor detect that the ink is empty. Due to the erroneous detection of the remaining liquid level sensor, the ink remaining in the ink storage chamber becomes unusable, and a problem occurs that the amount of ink discarded before being used up increases. In addition, since air bubbles easily enter the next ink chamber from one ink chamber, there is a possibility that the discharge quality may be lowered.

In addition, since air bubbles are likely to enter the next ink chamber from one ink chamber, there is a possibility that the discharge quality may be lowered. The present invention provides a liquid container capable of suppressing air bubbles from passing from one ink chamber to the next ink chamber.

Therefore, an object of the present invention relates to solving the above-mentioned problems, and provides a liquid container capable of suppressing air bubbles from passing from one ink chamber to the next ink chamber.

means of solving problems

The object of the present invention is accomplished by a liquid container which is an air-opening liquid container, and the liquid container mounted on a liquid consuming device includes: a liquid storage chamber for containing liquid; and a liquid supply part capable of communicating with all connected to the liquid consuming device; a liquid guide passage, which guides the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber to the liquid supply part; Atmosphere is introduced into the room; and a liquid residual sensor is provided in the middle of the liquid guide passage, and detects the depletion of the liquid in the liquid storage chamber by detecting the gas inflow to the liquid guide passage, and the liquid container is characterized in that , including at least three liquid storage chambers on the container body, and these liquid storage chambers are connected in series in a descending connection and ascending connection alternately, the descending connection makes the A pair of liquid storage chambers are connected to each other in such a way that the flow direction of the liquid in the liquid guide passage forms a descending flow from top to bottom, and the ascending connection makes the flow direction of the liquid in the liquid guide passage form a downward flow. The way of upflow connects a pair of liquid holding chambers to each other.

According to the liquid container of the above structure, since the three or more liquid storage chambers are connected in series so as to alternately repeat the descending connection and the ascending connection, it has a stirring effect and is effective for liquids that tend to settle, such as pigment ink.

Therefore, when passing through the liquid guide passage forming a descending type connection, on the air bubbles in the liquid flowing into the liquid guide passage extending from the upstream liquid storage chamber toward the liquid supply part, buoyancy will act to prevent the air bubbles The liquid in the liquid guiding passage forming a drop-type connection flows downstream. Therefore, it is difficult for air bubbles entering the liquid guide passage to proceed downstream.

In addition, when the liquid container detached from the liquid consuming device is turned upside down, the liquid guide passage forming the ascending connection functions as a descending connection, preventing air bubbles from moving downstream. That is, even if the liquid container is turned upside down, the effect of preventing air bubbles from moving downstream can be obtained by forming the descending connected liquid flow path.

Furthermore, the liquid storage chambers connected after the second stage function as trapping chambers for trapping air bubbles flowing in from the upstream liquid storage chambers. That is, even if the liquid container is in a sideways state, and the descending type connection between the liquid storage chambers cannot exert sufficient effect in preventing the movement of the air bubbles, the upper space after the second stage is also used as an inflow. The trapping chamber for air bubbles functions efficiently. Here, the liquid remaining in the liquid storage chamber reliably prevents the bubbles from moving downstream.

In the liquid container configured as described above, it is preferable that an air chamber for preventing leakage of the liquid in the liquid storage chamber is provided in the atmosphere communication passage.

According to the liquid container configured in this way, even when the liquid flows out from the liquid storage chamber to the atmosphere side due to thermal expansion or the like, the liquid is reliably trapped in the air chamber to prevent the liquid from leaking. Furthermore, since the liquid trapped in the air chamber is configured to flow into the liquid storage chamber as the liquid is consumed, the liquid stored inside can be used without waste.

In addition, in the liquid container configured as described above, it is preferable that at least a part of the atmosphere communication passage passes through an uppermost portion of the liquid container in the direction of gravity.

According to the liquid container configured in this way, even when the liquid flows backward, it is difficult for the liquid to reach the atmosphere opening hole of the container main body over the uppermost portion in the direction of gravity. Therefore, liquid leakage can be suppressed.

In addition, in the liquid container configured as described above, it is preferable that a gas-liquid separation filter that passes gas and blocks liquid so as not to pass is provided on the atmosphere communication path.

According to the liquid container constructed in this way, even if the liquid flows out into the atmosphere communication passage, since the gas-liquid separation filter is provided in the atmosphere communication passage, the liquid does not pass over the gas-liquid separation filter and leak to the atmosphere opening side. Therefore, it is possible to further suppress ink leakage from the atmospheric opening holes.

In addition, in the liquid container having the above-mentioned configuration, it is preferable to pack it in a decompression bag that is decompressed and sealed so that the internal pressure is equal to or lower than atmospheric pressure.

According to the liquid container configured in this way, the air pressure inside the container main body is kept below a predetermined value by the negative pressure suction force of the decompression bag before use, and liquid with little dissolved air can be supplied.

In addition, the object of the present invention is accomplished by a liquid container that can be attached to and detached from a liquid consuming device, and includes: a liquid storage chamber for storing liquid; and a liquid supply part capable of connecting with the liquid consuming device connection; a liquid guide passage for guiding the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber to the liquid supply part; an atmosphere communication passage for introducing atmosphere into the liquid storage chamber from the outside as the liquid in the liquid storage chamber is consumed; and a liquid sensor disposed on the liquid guiding path, the liquid container is characterized in that it includes at least three liquid storage chambers on the container main body, and these liquid storage chambers are connected to descend The descending type connection and the rising type connection alternately repeat in series. The descending type connection connects a pair of liquid storage chambers to each other in such a way that the flow direction of the liquid in the liquid guiding passage forms a descending flow from top to bottom. The pair of liquid storage chambers are connected to each other in such a manner that the flow direction of the liquid in the liquid guide passage forms an ascending flow from bottom to top.

According to the liquid container of the above structure, since the three or more liquid storage chambers are connected in series so as to alternately repeat the descending connection and the ascending connection, it has a stirring effect and is effective for liquids that tend to settle, such as pigment ink.

Here, when passing through the liquid guide passage forming a descending type connection, buoyancy acts on the air bubbles floating in the liquid flowing into the liquid guide passage extending from the upstream liquid storage chamber toward the liquid supply portion so as to prevent the air bubbles from following along. The liquid present in the liquid guiding passage forming the descending type connection flows downstream. Therefore, it is difficult for air bubbles entering the liquid guide passage to proceed downstream.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an ink cartridge according to one embodiment of the liquid container of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the appearance of an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention when viewed from an opposite angle to that of Figure 1;

3 is an exploded perspective view of an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention viewed from an opposite angle to FIG. 3;

5 is a diagram showing a state in which an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted on a carriage of an inkjet recording device;

6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention immediately before being mounted on a carriage;

7 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of the ink cartridge according to the embodiment of the present invention immediately after being mounted on the carriage;

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a cartridge body of an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention viewed from the front side;

FIG. 9 is a view showing a cartridge body of an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention viewed from the back side;

Fig. 10A is a schematic diagram of Fig. 8, and Fig. 10B is a schematic diagram of Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is the A-A sectional view of Fig. 8;

Fig. 12 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a flow path configuration in the cartridge main body shown in Fig. 8 .

Detailed ways

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the liquid container of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, an ink cartridge detachably attached to an inkjet recording device (printer), which is an example of a liquid ejecting device, will be described as an example of a liquid container.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an ink cartridge according to one embodiment of the liquid container of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the ink cartridge according to this embodiment viewed from an angle opposite to that of FIG. 1 . FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the ink cartridge of this embodiment, and FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the ink cartridge of this embodiment viewed from an angle opposite to that of FIG. 3 . 5 is a diagram showing a state in which the ink cartridge according to this embodiment is mounted on a carriage, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state immediately before being mounted on a carriage, and FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state immediately after mounting on a carriage. A cross-sectional view of the state afterward.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the ink cartridge 1 of this embodiment has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is a liquid container that stores and accommodates ink (liquid) I in an ink storage chamber (liquid storage chamber) provided inside. The ink cartridge 1 is mounted on a carriage 200 of an inkjet recording device, which is an example of a liquid consuming device, to supply ink (see FIG. 5 ).

The following describes the appearance characteristics of the ink cartridge 1. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the ink cartridge 1 has a flat upper surface 1a, and a bottom surface 1b facing the upper surface 1a is provided with a device connected to the inkjet recording device. An ink supply unit (liquid supply unit) 50 that supplies ink. In addition, an air opening hole 100 for introducing air into the ink cartridge 1 is opened on the bottom surface 1b. That is, the ink cartridge 1 is an air-opening type ink cartridge that supplies ink from the ink supply unit 50 while introducing air from the air opening hole 100 .

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6 , the atmosphere opening hole 100 has a substantially cylindrical concave portion 101 that opens from the bottom surface side toward the upper surface side on the bottom surface 1b, and has an opening on the inner peripheral surface of the concave portion 101. The small hole 102. The small hole 102 communicates with an air communication passage described later, and the air is introduced through the small hole 102 into the most upstream ink storage chamber 370 described below.

The recessed portion 101 of the atmospheric opening hole 100 is formed so as to receive the depth of the protrusion 230 formed on the bracket 200 . The protrusion 230 is a peeling prevention protrusion for preventing forgetting to peel off the sealing film 90 serving as a closing member that seals the atmosphere open hole 100 in an airtight manner. That is, since the protrusion 230 cannot be inserted into the atmosphere release hole 100 in the state where the sealing film 90 is pasted, the ink cartridge 1 cannot be attached to the carriage 200 . Therefore, even if the user intends to directly install the ink cartridge 1 on the carriage 200 in the state where the sealing film 90 is attached to the atmosphere opening hole 100, the installation cannot be completed, thereby enabling reliable peeling off of the seal when the ink cartridge 1 is installed. Film 90.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 1 , on a narrow side surface 1 c adjacent to one short side of the upper surface 1 a of the ink cartridge 1 , there is formed a mis-insertion prevention protrusion 22 for preventing the ink cartridge 1 from being mounted in a wrong position. As shown in FIG. 5 , on the side of the bracket 200 as the receiving side, a concave-convex 220 corresponding to the mis-insertion prevention protrusion 22 is formed, and the ink cartridge 1 can be installed only when the mis-insertion prevention protrusion 22 and the concave-convex 220 do not collide. onto the bracket 200. The mis-insertion prevention protrusion 22 has a different shape depending on the type of ink cartridge, and the unevenness 220 on the side of the carriage 200 which is a receiving side also has a shape corresponding to the type of the corresponding ink cartridge. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5 , even in the case of the carriage 200 which can mount a plurality of ink cartridges, the ink cartridges are not mounted in wrong positions.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 2 , on the narrow side surface 1 d facing the narrow side surface 1 c of the ink cartridge 1 , a fitting lever 11 is provided. The fitting rod 11 is formed with a protrusion 11 a that fits into the recess 210 formed on the bracket 200 when it is attached to the bracket 200 , and the protrusion 11 a fits into the recess 210 while the fitting rod 11 is flexed, whereby The ink cartridge 1 is positioned relative to the carriage 200 .

In addition, a circuit board 34 is provided below the fitting rod 11, and a plurality of electrode terminals 34a are formed on the circuit board 34, and these electrode terminals 34a are in contact with electrode members (not shown) provided on the bracket 200, As a result, the ink cartridge 1 is electrically connected to the inkjet recording device. A rewritable non-volatile memory is provided on the circuit board 34, and stores various information about the ink cartridge 1, ink usage information of the inkjet recording device, and the like. Further, a remaining liquid level sensor (sensor unit) 31 (see FIG. 3 or FIG. 4 ) for detecting the remaining ink level in the ink cartridge 1 using residual vibration is provided on the back side of the circuit board 34 . In the following description, the liquid level sensor 31 and the circuit board 34 are collectively referred to as the ink end sensor 30 .

In addition, as shown in FIG. 1 , a label 60 a indicating what is accommodated in the ink cartridge is attached to the upper surface 1 a of the ink cartridge 1 . The label 60a is formed by sticking the end of the outer film 60 covering the wide side surface 1f across the upper surface 1a.

In addition, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the wide side surfaces 1 e and 1 f adjacent to both long side sides of the upper surface 1 a of the ink cartridge 1 are formed in a flat surface shape. In the following description, for convenience, the side of the wide side surface 1e is referred to as the front side, the side of the wide side surface 1f is referred to as the back side, the side of the narrow side surface 1c is referred to as the right side, and the side of the narrow side surface 1d is referred to as the left side. side to explain.

Next, each part constituting the ink cartridge 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 .

The ink cartridge 1 includes: a cartridge body 10 as a container body; and a cover member 20 covering the front side of the cartridge body 10 .

The cartridge main body 10 has ribs 10a of various shapes formed on its front side, and these ribs 10a serve as partition plates, and internally divide and form a plurality of ink storage chambers (liquid storage chambers) filled with ink I and unfilled chambers not filled with ink I. chamber, and an air chamber located in the middle of the atmosphere communication passage 150 described later.

A film 80 covering the front side of the cartridge body 10 is provided between the cartridge body 10 and the cover member 20, and the film 80 seals the upper surfaces of the ribs, recesses, and grooves to form a plurality of flow paths, ink storage chambers, and unfilled chambers. , Air chamber.

In addition, on the back side of the cartridge main body 10 are formed a differential pressure valve accommodation chamber 40 a serving as a recess for accommodating the differential pressure valve 40 , and a gas-liquid separation chamber 70 a serving as a recess constituting the gas-liquid separation filter 70 .

The valve member 41, the spring 42, and the spring seat are accommodated in the differential pressure valve accommodation chamber 40a, and the differential pressure valve 40 is comprised. The differential pressure valve 40 is disposed between the ink supply unit 50 on the downstream side and the ink storage chamber on the upstream side, and is configured to reduce the pressure of the ink supplied to the ink supply unit 50 by depressurizing the downstream side relative to the upstream side. become negative pressure.

The gas-liquid separation membrane 71 is pasted on the upper surface of the gas-liquid separation chamber 70a along the bank 70b provided near the center of the gas-liquid separation chamber 70a and surrounding the periphery. This gas-liquid separation membrane 71 is a material that blocks liquid from passing through while allowing gas to pass therethrough, and constitutes the gas-liquid separation filter 70 as a whole. The gas-liquid separation filter 70 is provided in the atmosphere communication passage 150 connecting the atmosphere opening hole 100 and the ink storage chamber, and is used to prevent the ink I in the ink storage chamber from flowing out of the atmosphere opening hole 100 through the atmosphere communication passage 150 .

A plurality of grooves 10b are formed on the back side of the cartridge main body 10 in addition to the differential pressure valve accommodation chamber 40a and the gas-liquid separation chamber 70a. The openings of the grooves 10b are closed by covering the outer surface with the outer surface film 60 in the state where the differential pressure valve 40 and the air separation filter 70 are formed, so that the grooves 10b form the atmosphere communication passage 150 and the ink guide passage.

As shown in FIG. 4 , on the right side of the cartridge main body 10 is formed a sensor chamber 30 a serving as a recess for accommodating components constituting the ink end sensor 30 . The sensor chamber 30a accommodates a remaining liquid level sensor 31 and a compression spring 32 that presses and fixes the remaining liquid level sensor 31 against the inner wall surface of the sensor chamber 30a. In addition, the opening of the sensor chamber 30 a is covered with a cover member 33 , and a circuit board 34 is fixed to an outer surface 33 a of the cover member 33 . The sensing part of the liquid level sensor 31 is connected to the circuit board 34 .

The liquid level sensor 31 includes a cavity forming a part of the ink guide path between the ink storage chamber and the ink supply part 50, a vibrating plate forming a part of the wall surface of the cavity, and a piezoelectric element (piezoelectric element) that applies vibration to the vibrating plate. An electric actuator) detects the presence or absence of the ink I in the ink guide path from the residual vibration when the vibration is applied to the vibration plate. The remaining liquid level sensor 31 detects the presence or absence of ink I in the cartridge main body 10 by detecting the difference in amplitude and frequency of residual vibration between ink I and gas (bubbles B mixed in ink).

Specifically, if the ink in the ink storage chamber in the cartridge main body 10 is exhausted and the air introduced into the ink storage chamber enters the cavity of the liquid level sensor 31 along the ink guide path, the amplitude of the residual vibration at that time will be Or the change of frequency detects this situation, and outputs the electric signal that represents ink to run out.

As shown in Figure 4, in addition to the ink supply part 50 and the atmosphere opening hole 100 just described, the bottom surface side of the cartridge main body 10 is also formed with: a decompression hole 110, which is used to remove the ink from the ink cartridge by a vacuum suction device when injecting ink. The inside is depressurized by sucking air; the recess 95a constitutes an ink guide path from the ink storage chamber to the ink supply part 50; and the buffer chamber 30b is provided below the ink end sensor 30.

The ink supply part 50, the air opening hole 100, the decompression hole 110, the recessed part 95a, and the buffer chamber 30b are all formed in a state where the respective openings are sealed by the sealing films 54, 90, 98, 95, and 35, respectively, immediately after the ink cartridge is manufactured. . Wherein, the sealing film 90 that seals the atmospheric opening hole 100 is peeled off by the user before the ink cartridge is mounted on the inkjet recording device to be used. As a result, the atmosphere opening hole 100 is exposed to the outside, and the ink storage chamber inside the ink cartridge 1 communicates with the outside air through the atmosphere communication passage 150 .

In addition, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the sealing film 35 pasted on the outer surface of the ink supply part 50 will be blocked by the ink supply needle 240 on the side of the inkjet recording apparatus when the ink cartridge is mounted on the inkjet recording apparatus. punctured.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 , the inside of the ink supply part 50 includes: an annular sealing member 51 that is pressed against the outer surface of the ink supply needle 240 when installed; The seal member 51 contacts the spring seat 52 to close the ink supply unit 50 , and the compression spring 53 presses the spring seat 52 in the contact direction of the seal member 51 .

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, if the ink supply needle 240 is inserted into the ink supply part 50, the outer circumference of the sealing member 51 and the outer circumference of the ink supply needle 240 are sealed, and the gap between the ink supply part 50 and the ink supply needle 240 It is sealed liquid-tightly. The tip of the ink supply needle 240 contacts the spring seat 52 to push the spring seat 52 upward, and the seal between the spring seat 52 and the sealing member 51 is released, whereby ink can be supplied from the ink supply unit 50 to the ink supply needle 240 .

Next, the internal structure of the ink cartridge 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 12 .

8 is a view showing the cartridge body 10 of the ink cartridge 1 of this embodiment viewed from the front side, FIG. 9 is a view showing the cartridge body 10 of the ink cartridge 1 of the embodiment viewed from the back side, and FIG. 10A is a diagram 8, FIG. 10B is a schematic diagram of FIG. 9, and FIG. 11 is a sectional view of A-A in FIG. Moreover, FIG. 12 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing the flow path shown in FIG. 8 .

In the ink cartridge 11 of this embodiment, as the main ink storage chamber filled with ink I, there are an upper ink storage chamber 370 and a lower ink storage chamber 390 divided into upper and lower two, and a buffer chamber located between these upper and lower ink storage chambers. Three ink containing chambers constituted by 430 are formed on the front side of the cartridge main body 10 (see FIG. 10 ).

In addition, an air communication passage 150 is formed on the back side of the cartridge main body 10 to introduce air into the upper ink storage chamber 370 which is the most upstream ink storage chamber according to the consumption of ink I.

The ink storage chambers 370, 390 and the buffer chamber 430 are partitioned by the rib 10a. Further, in the present embodiment, the respective ink storage chambers are formed with dimples 374 , 394 , 434 in a downwardly concave shape in a part of the rib 10 a extending horizontally as the bottom wall of the storage chamber.

The dimple 374 dents a part of the bottom wall 375 formed by the rib 10 a of the upper ink containing chamber 370 downward. The dimple 394 dents the bottom wall 395 formed by the rib 10a of the lower ink containing chamber 390 and the protrusion of the wall surface in the cartridge thickness direction. The dimple 434 dents a part of the bottom wall 435 formed by the rib 10a of the buffer chamber 430 downward.

In addition, ink discharge ports 371 , 311 , 432 communicating with ink guide passage 380 , upstream ink end sensor communication channel 400 , and ink guide passage 440 are provided at or near the bottom of each depression 374 , 394 , 434 .

The ink discharge ports 371 and 432 are through holes penetrating through the wall surfaces of the respective ink storage chambers in the width direction of the cartridge main body 10 . Furthermore, the ink discharge port 311 is a through hole penetrating downward through the bottom wall 395 .

One end of the ink guide passage 380 communicates with the ink discharge port 371 of the upper ink containing chamber 370 and the other end communicates with the ink inflow port 391 provided in the lower ink containing chamber 390, forming the ink I of the upper ink containing chamber 370 to the bottom ink. The liquid guided by the receiving chamber 390 guides the passage. The ink guide passage 380 is provided so as to extend vertically downward from the ink discharge port 371 of the upper ink storage chamber 370, and the flow direction of the ink I in the liquid guide passage is a descending type in which the flow direction of the ink I descends from the top to the bottom. The pair of liquid holding chambers 370, 390 are connected to each other by connecting.

One end of the ink guide passage 420 communicates with the ink discharge port 312 of the cavity in the liquid level sensor 31 located downstream of the lower ink containing chamber 390 and the other end communicates with the ink inlet 431 provided in the buffer chamber 430, so that the lower ink The ink I in the storage chamber 390 is guided to the buffer chamber 430 . The ink guide passage 420 is provided so as to extend obliquely upward from the ink discharge port 312 of the cavity in the liquid level sensor 31, and by making the flow direction of the ink I in the liquid guide passage upward flow from bottom to top The pair of liquid holding chambers 390, 430 are connected to each other by a rising type connection.

That is, in the cartridge main body 10 of the present embodiment, the three ink storage chambers 370 , 390 , and 430 are connected in series in which descending connections and ascending connections are alternately repeated.

The ink guide path 440 is an ink flow path that guides ink from the ink discharge port 432 of the buffer chamber 430 to the differential pressure valve 40 .

In the case of this embodiment, the ink inlets 391, 431 of the ink storage chambers are provided above the ink discharge ports 371, 311 in each ink storage chamber, and are provided on the bottom walls 375, 395, 435, wherein the ink discharge ports 371, 311 are provided in the respective housing chambers.

Hereinafter, the ink guide passage from the upper ink storage chamber 370 to the ink supply part 50 will be described first with reference to FIGS. 8 to 12 , wherein the upper ink storage chamber 370 is the main ink storage chamber.

The upper ink storage chamber 370 is the most upstream (uppermost) ink storage chamber in the cartridge main body 10 , and is formed on the front side of the cartridge main body 10 as shown in FIG. 8 . The upper ink storage chamber 370 is an ink storage area occupying about half of the ink storage chamber, and is formed in an upper half of the cartridge main body 10 .

The ink discharge port 371 communicating with the ink guide passage 380 opens in the dimple 374 of the bottom wall 375 of the upper ink containing chamber 370 . The ink discharge port 371 is located below the bottom wall 375 of the upper ink storage chamber 370, and even if the ink liquid level F in the upper ink storage chamber 370 falls to the bottom wall 375, it is located below the ink liquid level F at that time. Thereby, the ink I is continuously and stably exported.

As shown in FIG. 9 , the ink guide passage 380 is formed on the rear side wall of the cartridge main body 10 and guides the ink I from above to the lower ink containing chamber 390 below.

The lower ink storage chamber 390 is an ink storage chamber for introducing the ink I stored in the upper ink storage chamber 370, and occupies about half of the ink storage chamber formed on the front side of the cartridge body 10 as shown in FIG. It is formed in the lower portion of approximately half of the box main body 10 .

The ink inflow port 391 communicating with the ink guide passage 380 opens in a communication flow path disposed below the bottom wall 395 of the lower ink storage chamber 390, and the ink I from the upper ink storage chamber 370 flows in through the communication flow path.

The lower ink storage chamber 390 communicates with the upstream ink end sensor communication flow path 400 through the ink discharge port 311 penetrating the bottom wall 395 . A three-dimensional labyrinth flow path is formed in the upstream ink end sensor communication flow path 400 , and the air bubbles B or the like that flow in before the ink end is captured by the labyrinth flow path so as not to flow to the downstream side.

The upstream ink end sensor communication flow path 400 communicates with the downstream ink end sensor connection flow path 410 through a through hole not shown, and ink is guided to the liquid level sensor 31 through the downstream ink end sensor communication flow path 410 I.

The ink I guided to the liquid level sensor 31 flows through the cavity (flow path) in the liquid level sensor 31, and is guided from the discharge port 312 to the ink guide passage 420 formed on the back side of the cartridge main body 10, where the ink I is discharged. Outlet 312 is the outlet of the cavity.

The ink guide path 420 is formed to guide the ink I obliquely upward from the remaining liquid level sensor 31 , and is connected to an ink inlet 431 that communicates with the buffer chamber 430 . Therefore, the ink I flowing out of the remaining liquid level sensor 31 is introduced into the buffer chamber 430 through the ink guide passage 420 .

The buffer chamber 430 is a small room defined by the rib 10 a between the upper ink storage chamber 370 and the lower ink storage chamber 390 , and is formed as an ink storage space directly in front of the differential pressure valve 40 . The buffer chamber 430 is formed to face the backside of the differential pressure valve 40 , and ink I flows into the differential pressure valve 40 through the ink guide passage 440 communicated with the ink discharge port 432 formed in the dimple 434 of the buffer chamber 430 .

The ink I flowing into the differential pressure valve 40 is guided downstream by the differential pressure valve 40 , and is guided to the outlet channel 450 through the through hole 451 . The outlet channel 450 communicates with the ink supply unit 50 , and the ink I is supplied to the inkjet recording device side via the ink supply needle 240 inserted into the ink supply unit 50 .

Next, the atmosphere communication path 150 from the atmosphere opening hole 100 to the upper ink containing chamber 370 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 12 .

When the ink I in the ink cartridge 11 is consumed and the pressure inside the ink cartridge 11 drops, the reduced amount of the stored ink I flows from the atmosphere opening hole 100 to the upper ink storage chamber 370 .

The small hole 102 provided inside the atmosphere release hole 100 communicates with one end of the snake path 310 formed on the back side of the cartridge main body 10 . The serpentine path 310 is a serpentine path formed elongatedly so as to increase the distance from the air opening hole 100 to the upper ink storage chamber 370 and to suppress evaporation of moisture in the ink. The other end of the snake path 310 is connected to the gas-liquid separation filter 70 .

A through hole 322 is formed in the bottom surface of the gas-liquid separation chamber 70 a constituting the gas-liquid separation filter 70 , and communicates with a space 320 formed on the front side of the cartridge main body 10 through the through hole 322 .

In the gas-liquid separation filter 70 , the gas-liquid separation membrane 71 is arranged between the through-hole 322 and the other end of the serpentine path 310 . The gas-liquid separation membrane 71 is formed by weaving a fiber material with high water repellency and oil repellency into a mesh shape.

The space 320 is formed on the upper right of the upper ink chamber 370 as viewed from the front side of the cartridge main body 10 . The through hole 321 opens at the upper portion of the through hole 322 in the space 320 . The space 320 communicates with the upper connecting channel 330 formed on the rear side through the through hole 321 .

Viewed from the rear side, the upper connection flow path 330 has a flow path portion 333 extending rightward along the long side from the through hole 321 , and an ink cartridge that is higher than the flow path portion 333 by turning back at a turn-back portion 335 near the short side. 11 and extends to the flow path portion 337 of the through hole 341 formed near the through hole 321 so as to pass through the uppermost side of the ink cartridge 11, that is, the uppermost part in the direction of gravity of the ink cartridge 11 in the installed state.

Here, when the upper connection flow path 330 is viewed from the back side, the flow path portion 337 extending from the folded portion 335 to the through hole 341 is provided with a position 336 where the through hole 341 is formed and a position deeper than the position 336 in the thickness direction of the ink cartridge. The concave portion 332 is deeply dug, and a plurality of ribs 331 are formed so as to divide the concave portion 332 . Furthermore, the depth of the flow path portion 333 extending from the through hole 321 to the turnback portion 335 is formed shallower than that of the flow path portion 337 extending from the turnback portion 335 to the through hole 341 .

In the present embodiment, since the upper connecting flow path 330 is formed at the uppermost part in the direction of gravity, the ink I hardly moves over the upper connecting flow path 330 to the atmosphere opening hole 100 side. Furthermore, the upper connection flow path 330 has a certain wide thickness, and the backflow of the ink I does not occur due to capillarity, etc., and since the recess 332 is formed in the flow path portion 337, it is easy to catch the ink I that flows back.

The ink retention chamber 340 is a cuboid-shaped space formed in the upper right corner of the cartridge main body 10 when viewed from the front side. As shown in FIG. 12 , the through hole 341 opens near the upper left corner of the ink trap chamber 340 when viewed from the front side. Further, a notch 342 in which a part of the rib 10 a serving as a partition plate is cut away is formed at the lower right front corner of the ink retaining chamber 340 , and communicates with the connection buffer chamber 350 through the notch 342 .

Here, the ink retention chamber 340 and the connection buffer chamber 350 are air chambers in the form of expanding the volume of the air communication passage 150, and are configured so that even if the ink I flows backward from the upper ink storage chamber 370 for some reason, , the ink I is also trapped in the ink retention chamber 340 and the connection buffer chamber 350, so that it will not flow into the atmosphere opening hole 100 as much as possible. The specific functions of the ink retention chamber 340 and the connection buffer chamber 350 will be described later.

The connection buffer chamber 350 is a space formed below the ink retention chamber 340 . A decompression hole 110 is provided on the bottom surface 352 connected to the buffer chamber 350 for pumping air when injecting ink. Further, the through hole 351 opens toward the thickness direction side near the bottom surface 352 and at the lowest portion in the gravity direction when mounted on the inkjet recording device, and communicates with the connection flow path 360 formed on the back side through the through hole 351 .

When viewed from the rear side, the connection flow path 360 extends toward the upper side of the center, and communicates with the upper ink storage chamber 370 through a through-hole 372 opened near the bottom surface of the upper ink storage chamber 370 . That is, the connection flow path 360 constitutes the atmosphere communication passage 150 of the present embodiment from the atmosphere opening hole 100 . The connecting channel 360 forms a meniscus, and is formed in such a thickness that the ink I does not flow back.

As shown in FIG. 8 , in the case of the ink cartridge 1 of this embodiment, in addition to the aforementioned ink storage chambers (upper ink storage chamber 370 , lower ink storage chamber 390 , buffer chamber 430 ), air chamber, and air chamber on the front side of the cartridge body 10, (ink retaining chamber 340, connection buffer chamber 350), and ink guide path (upstream side ink end sensor communication flow path 400, downstream side ink end sensor communication flow path 410), also divided into not filled ink I Chamber 501 is not filled.

The unfilled chamber 501 is formed on the front side of the cartridge body 10 as a hatched area near the left side, and is sandwiched between the upper ink storage chamber 370 and the lower ink storage chamber 390 .

Furthermore, the unfilled chamber 501 is provided with an air opening hole 502 penetrating on the back side at the upper left corner of the inner region thereof, and communicates with the outside air through the air opening hole 502 .

This unfilled chamber 501 serves as a degassing chamber in which a negative pressure for degassing is accumulated when the ink cartridge 1 is packaged under reduced pressure. Therefore, before use, the air pressure inside the cartridge main body 10 is kept below a predetermined value due to the negative pressure attraction force of the unfilled chamber 501 and the decompression bag, so that ink I with little dissolved air can be supplied.

Even in the ink cartridge 1 described above, for example, when the ink cartridge 1 detached from the cradle 200 in the middle of use falls down, or the state installed on the cradle 200 is affected by external vibrations, the ink containing chambers 370 , 390, 430 when the ink liquid level F in sloshes, in the ink storage chamber with little remaining ink, the air layer will touch the ink discharge port in the storage chamber, so that the air bubbles will enter the ink guide that communicates with the ink discharge port. passage phenomenon.

However, according to this embodiment, since the three ink containing chambers 370, 390, 430 are connected in series to form a structure in which descending connections and ascending connections are repeated alternately, the liquid guide passage leading to the liquid level sensor 31 forms an up and down curve. A zigzagging flow path.

Therefore, when passing through the ink guide passage 380 forming a descending type connection, on the air bubbles B in the ink I flowing into the liquid guide passage extending from the upstream upper ink containing chamber 370 toward the liquid supply part 50, a buoyant force acts to block the air bubbles. B flows downstream along with the ink I existing in the ink guide passage 380 forming the descending type connection. Therefore, it is difficult for the air bubbles B entering the liquid guide passage to advance downstream.

Also, when the ink cartridge 1 detached from the carriage 200 is turned upside down, the ink guide passage 420 forming the ascending connection functions as a descending connection, preventing the air bubbles B from moving downstream. That is, even if the ink cartridge 1 is turned upside down, the function of preventing the air bubbles B from moving to the downstream side can be obtained by forming the ink guide passage 420 connected in a descending type.

Furthermore, the lower ink storage chamber 390 and the buffer chamber 430 connected after the second stage function as trapping chambers for trapping air bubbles B flowing in from the upstream upper ink storage chamber 370 . That is, if the ink cartridge 1 is in a sideways state, and the ink guide passages 380, 420 extending in the vertical direction become in the form of extending in the horizontal direction, the descending connection between the ink storage chambers will prevent the movement of the air bubbles B. cannot be sufficiently effective. However, even in this case, the upper space of the lower ink storage chamber 390 and the buffer chamber 430 effectively functions as a trapping chamber for the air bubbles B that have flowed in. Here, the ink I remaining in the lower ink storage chamber 390 and the buffer chamber 430 reliably prevents the bubbles B from moving downstream.

Therefore, even if air bubbles B enter the ink guide passages 380 and 420 from the upper ink storage chamber 370 and the lower ink storage chamber 390 on the upper side, the meandering ink guide passage or the lower ink storage chamber 390 connecting the ink storage chambers will And during the period when there is a remaining amount of ink in the buffer chamber 430, the air bubbles B entering the ink guide passage can be suppressed from reaching the detection position of the liquid remaining sensor 31, and the false detection of the liquid remaining sensor 31 caused by the entry of the air bubbles B can be prevented. .

In the above embodiment, three ink storage chambers are divided and formed in one cartridge main body, but the number of ink storage chambers provided in the cartridge main body can be set to an arbitrary number of three or more. The more the air bubbles are trapped, the more the air bubbles will be trapped, and the performance of preventing the air bubbles from moving downstream will be improved.

In addition, the use of the liquid container of the present invention is not limited to the ink cartridge shown in the above-mentioned embodiments. Furthermore, the liquid consumption device provided with the container mounting portion for mounting the liquid container of the present invention is not limited to the ink jet recording device shown in the above-mentioned embodiment.

Regarding the liquid consuming device, it is equipped with a container mounting portion for detachably mounting the liquid container of the present invention, and various devices in which the liquid stored in the liquid container is supplied to the device are suitable. As specific examples, for example, liquid crystal Devices equipped with color material injection heads used in the production of color filters for displays, etc., devices with electrode material (conductive paste) injection heads used in electrode formation of organic EL displays, flat light emitting displays (FED), etc., in biochips Devices equipped with bio-organism injection heads used in manufacturing, devices equipped with sample injection heads used as precision pipettes, etc.

Claims (6)

1. An atmosphere-open liquid container, comprising: a liquid holding chamber for containing liquid; a liquid supply connectable to said liquid consuming device; a liquid guide passage for guiding the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber to the liquid supply part; an atmosphere communication path for introducing atmosphere into the liquid storage chamber from the outside as the liquid in the liquid storage chamber is consumed; and a liquid remaining sensor disposed in the middle of the liquid guide passage, and detects the depletion of the liquid in the liquid storage chamber by detecting the inflow of gas to the liquid guide passage; The liquid container is characterized in that, Including at least three or more of the liquid holding chambers in the container body, And these liquid storage chambers are connected in series in a descending connection and ascending connection alternately, the descending connection makes the flow direction of the liquid in the liquid guide passage form a descending flow from top to bottom A pair of liquid storage chambers are connected to each other, and the upward type connection connects the pair of liquid storage chambers to each other in such a way that the flow direction of the liquid in the liquid guide passage forms an upward flow from bottom to top, At least one liquid discharge port communicating with the liquid guide passage is arranged in a depression located lower than the bottom wall of the liquid storage chamber. 2. The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein an air chamber for preventing leakage of the liquid from the liquid storage chamber is provided in the air communication passage. 3. The liquid container according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the atmosphere communication passage passes through an uppermost portion of the liquid container in the direction of gravity. 4. The liquid container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a gas-liquid separation filter is provided on the atmosphere communication passage to allow gas to pass through and to block the flow so that liquid cannot pass through. 5. The liquid container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which is wrapped in a decompression bag sealed under decompression so that the internal pressure is below atmospheric pressure. 6. A liquid container comprising: a liquid holding chamber for containing liquid; a liquid supply connectable to said liquid consuming device; a liquid guide passage for guiding the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber to the liquid supply part; an atmosphere communication path for introducing atmosphere into the liquid storage chamber from the outside as the liquid in the liquid storage chamber is consumed; and a liquid sensor arranged on the liquid guiding path; The liquid container is characterized in that, Including at least three or more of the liquid holding chambers in the container body, And these liquid storage chambers are connected in series in a descending connection and ascending connection alternately, the descending connection makes the flow direction of the liquid in the liquid guide passage form a descending flow from top to bottom A pair of liquid storage chambers are connected to each other, and the upward type connection connects the pair of liquid storage chambers to each other in such a way that the flow direction of the liquid in the liquid guide passage forms an upward flow from bottom to top, At least one liquid discharge port communicating with the liquid guide passage is arranged in a depression located lower than the bottom wall of the liquid storage chamber.

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